Top 10 Books for Training Your Dog

Looking for the best books on training your dog? This DogAppy article gives you reviews of the 10 best books available for training your darling pooch.

Malvika Kulur

Did You Know?

The right time to start obedience training your puppy is when you get him home. You always start simple by just toilet training him first, and then teaching him the social hierarchy of your house.

Training your dog is easy, but it requires time and patience. By reading the books mentioned below, you will surely succeed in training your dog well.

* Please Note: This list is in no particular order.

★ Top 10 Dog Training Books

The Culture Clash ― Jean Donaldson

The Culture Clash is a very easy-to-understand book, with many simple and well-written guidelines on how to train your dog. This book clears many misconceptions regarding dog behavior and their acceptance towards training. In this book, the author who is a renowned dog behaviorist herself, has helped people understand dog behavior and how to cope with it. This book is a must-read for every dog owner and trainer.

Before & After Getting Your Puppy ― Dr. Ian Dunbar

Before & After Getting Your Puppy is a book that actually talks about everything you need to do regarding raising a puppy. It helps you develop a positive mindset and get yourself ready for your dog. This book has amazing pointers and instructions that will help you train your puppy in all aspects, like dealing with strangers, chewing furniture, toilet training, sorting behavioral and temperamental problems, etc.

The Power of Positive Dog Training ― Pat Miller

This book specializes in helping you train your dog by keeping a very positive approach. It helps you connect with your pet on a different level altogether, and assists you in becoming friends with your dog. This book stresses on using love, care, and support instead of fear and punishment while training your dog.

Don't Shoot the Dog! ― Karen Pryor

This book contains important and useful pointers for training your dog. The author, a behavioral biologist, has given 8 invaluable points which help in dealing with bad and undesirable behavior, and 10 laws which are necessary in shaping your dog's behavior for the best.

Living with Kids and Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind ― Colleen Pelar

This book is a boon for parents who are busy shuffling between work and family. It helps them establish a safe and enjoyable relationship between their dogs and their children. It helps parents identify reasons why the dog may exhibit abnormal behavior, and how to prevent their children from getting hurt or bitten.

How Dogs Learn ― Mary R. Burch, Jon Bailey

This book covers all aspects of dog training including its history. The language used in the book may be a little technical, but it is still understandable. Overall, it is a very informative and interesting book on what training methods to apply, and common ways in which one can deal with any behavioral problems faced by dog owners. This book very specifically breaks down behavioral patterns exhibited by dogs and helps the owner understand how to deal with unruly behavior, if any.

The Thinking Dog ― Gail Fisher

This is a must-have book for every dog owner, as it beautifully elucidates the concept of clicker training. It also stresses on using positive training techniques, and is very helpful for those who are trying to make the switch between normal voice commands to clicker commands. The evolution of dog training has also been covered in this book, along with important insight into the behavioral patterns exhibited by your dog.

Dogs on the Couch: Behavior Therapy for Training and Caring for Your Dog ― Larry Lachman

This book explains in detail how to deal with dogs who have behavioral problems, like nuisance barking, phobias, separation anxiety, and aggression. It stresses the need to understand a dog's problems, and then start with training using only positive training methods so that the dog is happy, safe, and comfortable. It explains both sides of the human-canine relationship in simple and easy-to-understand language.

For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend ― Patricia B. McConnell

This book helps dog owners establish a beautiful relationship with their canines. It has useful facts about dogs which help in their training. The emotional know-how of dogs has been described in such a beautiful way that all dog lovers will find it very difficult to put this book down without finishing it.

The Dog Who Loved Too Much: Tales, Treatments and the Psychology of Dogs ― Nicholas Dodman

This book is dedicated to helping people out with naughty dogs. Insightful information regarding curbing the destructive and rebellious tendencies of dogs has been stressed on, and remedies to unruly behavior have been explained very well in this book. So, if your pooch is the type to bite furniture and destroy clothes, telephone wires, and the like, then this book is meant for you.

I'll Be Home Soon: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety ― Patricia B. McConnell

AFTER You Get Your Puppy ― Ian Dunbar

You may get overwhelmed and irritated with your puppy, when he doesn't listen to you or obey your commands right away, but have patience, shower your dog with lots of love, and he will surely start accepting the training. Try training him with treats and toys, and most important of all, don't forget to have fun with your dog while training him.